I'm A Mudblood, Darling
by TieMeDownToYourSoul
Summary: "Mummy, what's a mudblood?"
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Nope, I don't own Harry Potter, that is all J.K. Rowling.**

**A/N: This is a femslash of Ginny/Hermione so if you can't handle it then hit the back button. This is completely AU and has some small spoilers for the Deathly Hallows movie. But if you enjoy it, hit the review button and tell me why and if you don't enjoy it…tell me why.**

**

* * *

**Hermione Jean Granger-Weasley looked out her kitchen window, hands rushing repeatedly through the dish towel as she sighed heavily and flicked her bangs behind her ears. The feeling of long arms stringing around her waist caused her to smile lightly as she tipped her head to the side.

"What's on your mind, love?" A gentle voice whispered and Hermione turned to snuggle her head in her wife's chest.

"Just wondering where the kids are," Hermione replied and Ginny chuckled before holding her wife closer and kissing the top of her caramel locks.

"Relax, Mione, they'll be fine. Their just like me, after all." Ginny reminded her as she released the older woman.

Hermione narrowed her eyes before smiling playfully, "That's what I fear."

Hermione and Ginny had been married for twelve years and, with Ron's help, Hermione had given birth to two beautiful children; first came Rose Molly Weasley who had inherited Hermione's fuzzy, cameral locks and Ginny's bright hazel eyes.

The young girl was brilliant beyond her age and could read a book within an hour, but had also taken after Ron and Ginny's rebellious ways and sarcastic attitudes. Rose was three years away from joining Harry and Luna's son, James, at Hogwarts while her younger brother still had seven years.

Hugo Harry Weasley was a fiery hazel eyed red-head who thought with his fists more than his brain, just like Ginny his protectiveness of Hermione was strong and his attitude was hostile and dangerous leaving his mothers desperate for control.

Hermione and Ginny's home was much like the Burrow, it had a comfortable feel and was large enough to hold guests that flooded in and out during the holidays. Hermione kept it spotless and managed to keep the materials of Ginny's Holyhead Harpies Quidditch gear cleaned up while trying to keep up with her job at the Ministry.

Hermione wondered over to the living room and listened to the faint sounds of Ginny's foot falls following her. They stood in silence for a few moments before their front door flew open as a red head and a brunette came stumbling in, wiping blood from their faces.

"Bloody hell, what happened?" Ginny demanded as she hurried to her son and daughter, Hermione grabbing their son and pulling him towards the couch as Ginny did the same with their daughter, both plopping down and pulling the children into their laps.

"Scorpius is what happened," Rose spat out as she glanced at her mothers and watched Hermione frown and turn her gaze to Hugo.

"What do you mean Malfoy?" Ginny hissed through clenched teeth; Scorpius Malfoy had taken after his father in every way possible, he was devious and cruel with a tendency to target Rose.

"The bloody git talked bad about Mummy again," Hugo explained as he stared at Hermione who furrowed her brow in wonder.

"Language, Hugo." Hermione scolded as she glanced at Ginny for assistance.

"Hugo, sweetie, what is it that Scorpius was saying?" Ginny questioned cautiously, looking into the eyes of the four-year-old's.

"I don't think I outta say it, Mum." Hugo muttered with a small blush, but Rose cleared her throat and demanded the attention.

"Rosie?" Hermione whispered and her daughter bit her lip and moved out of Ginny's embrace and into Hermione's.

With their eyes locked the seven-year-old grabbed Hermione's wrist and pulled it into her own lap, rolling the long black sleeve she wore and unlatching the diamond bracelet before running her fingers over the eight letter word imprinted across her mother's pale skin.

Mudblood.

"What's a mudblood, Mummy?" Rose asked with a raised eyebrow and a look that was a splitting image of the older witch.

"Well, it's…um." Hermione paused and her jaw gapped as she realized she couldn't find any words to sum up how she felt.

Never had Hermione been unable to speak her mind and never had she been unable to provide information to her child, but there she sat on her comfy living room couch with nothing but puffs of air coming out of her mouth.

"Maybe you should go wash up, kids." Ginny suggested as she noticed the look and paling on her wife's face.

"But…" Hugo began, but Ginny shot him a dark look and with a groan both himself and his sister were up and racing upstairs towards their bathrooms.

Once she was sure they were gone, Ginny moved to her wife's side and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, drawing her close as she pressed her lips to her temple, "I'm sorry, baby."

"No…words?" Hermione whimpered.

"Wow, our children have managed to render you speechless." Ginny chuckled as she stood from the couch, smirking down at her wife.

"They have done no such thing!" Hermione exclaimed, snapping from her stupor as she glared up at her wife, curls bouncing with the force of her head jerk.

"I suppose I spoke too soon," Ginny muttered under her breathe as she turned from Hermione, yelping as the brunette swatted her butt. "What was that for?"

"Honestly," Hermione huffed, ignoring her wife's frown as she stood and moved towards the kitchen with a strut to her step. "You and Ronald are so much alike sometimes it's astounding!"

"Hey, Ron and I are so no alike. He married a muggle for Murlin's sake!" Ginny sneered, chasing after her the older witch.

Hermione grabbed a nearby wash cloth and ran it over the counters as she giggled lightly at the red head and then followed it with a sigh, "So did you."

"Well, he lives in the muggle world!" Ginny blushed and Hermione rolled her eyes as she rubbed the granite counter more viciously.

"We would too if it wasn't for our jobs,"

"One of his kids attend _**muggle **_school." Ginny shivered and Hermione turned to face her, the brunette's hands hitting her hips as a stern expression took over her face.

"Ginny Weasley, I am not arguing any longer about this!" Hermione scolded and Ginny sighed and threw her hands up in defeat. "Thank you,"

"But there is one thing that I have that Ron doesn't," Ginny smirked, gliding up towards the brunette and watching Hermione scan her over in suspicion.

"And that would be?" Hermione sang, grunting as the red head slammed their bodies together and brushed their lips together causing them to share each other's breathe, before Hermione closed her eyes and waited for Ginny to finish her thoughts.

"You," Ginny answered before she lingered in the last kiss, holding on to the older witch's bottom lip and losing herself in the taste before letting go as she looked down to Hermione, her eyes darting over the woman's face. "I love you."

"I love you too," Hermione replied in a breathless tone.

* * *

"All tucked in?"

Rose glanced up from her book of Rise and Fall of Dark Arts and nodded, shutting the large brown book and setting it on her nightstand as Hermione wondered towards her with a bright smile on her lips and fidgeting with her diamond bracelet.

The older witch helped tuck Rose into her bed, making sure her teddy bear was near and that the blanket was tight around the younger brunette's neck just the way she liked it.

"Snuggled?" Hermione questioned with a raised eyebrow, chuckling as Rose energetically bobbed her head in agreement. "Okay then, good night, Rose. I lo…"

"Wait, Mummy, you never answered my question earlier." Rose reminded her and Hermione's brow furrowed in wonder. "What's a mudblood?"

At this, the woman lowered herself to sit on the end of the bed beside her daughter's feet, her hazel eyes going glazed as she stared at the wall in thought, "Well…"

She was stuck.

The older witch wanted nothing more than to tell her child the truth of her past, but her mind was telling her it wasn't time, it was telling her that Rose was too young to know all the horrible things in the Wizarding world.

"Is it a bad word?" Rose questioned with a doe eyed gaze and Hermione knew that look more than anything…it was her look; the innocent and the utter wonder cutting in the hazel while the gaze showed the eagerness to learn more about the world she lived in.

With a deep breathe Hermione reached down and ran a hand over her daughter's leg while painting a quick smile on her lips, "It's something you'll learn about sooner or later."

"Can't you tell me now?" Rose questioned as she gazed up through her eyelashes.

"It's late, dear." Hermione pointed out and Rose gave a whine of annoyance as she shifted her look from a Hermione-like gaze to one that matched Ginny's. "You need to sleep."

"But…"

"No buts, Rosie, now do as I say and get some sleep." Hermione ordered with a stern tone that was rarely used on anyone but her clients.

"Yes ma'am," Rose sighed, laying back on her pillows and smiling as Hermione stood and leaned down to kiss her forehead. "Love you, Mummy."

"Love you too, sweetie." Hermione whispered before flipping out the lights and shutting the door behind her.

It was almost ten o'clock when Hermione wondered into her bedroom with a frown, glancing to see Ginny already curled up reading a novel. The witch moved toward her dresser and removed her necklace, lingering as she removed the diamond bracelet on her left wrist.

Her left wrist held the memory of Bellaxtrix's torture and with a long sigh she ran the fingertips of her right hand over the carved word. Every once and awhile the scar would send a quick sting through her arm and she would flashback to that moment in the Malfoy's manor.

"Mione, you okay?" Ginny probed caringly, glancing up from the book she had been reading, noting the way her wife's shoulders were stiff and straight.

"I…" Hermione's mouth unhinged and her mind refused to form any coherent thoughts.

"Hermione, darling, your actually starting to scare me." Ginny confessed with a huff of air, Hermione only shaking her head.

"I'm…Ginny, I'm a Mudblood." Hermione uttered, eyes glistening with tears as she listened to the dull sound of Ginny's book hitting the bedspread.

The red head scrambled her way out of the soft white sheets before grabbing her wife's wrist and turning her to face her, "Don't say that."

Ginny steered Hermione towards the wall and placed a hand on the brunette's hip while squeezing the skin delicately, her other arm braced against the wall by the woman's head. The older witch was crying as she shook her head, her arms leisurely sliding up to lock around Ginny's neck.

"It's true, I have it carved into my skin for proof." Hermione sobbed as she felt her chest heaving against Ginny's.

"Hermione," Ginny pleaded, closing her eyes and resting her forehead against the brunette's while she felt her fists clinching at her sides.

"I hide it under clothing, I have to hide it from my own children because I'm so ashamed of what my race gets put through!" Hermione hiccupped.

"Bloody hell, Hermione, stop it!" Ginny roared, her palm slapping the wall next to her wife's head as she felt a surge of anger circle through her and settle in the bottom of her stomach.

Hermione had jolted at the sound of Ginny's palm connecting with the wall; she blinked away her tears and stared deeply into her wife's dark eyes. The red head sniffled as she felt tears trickle down her cheeks and drip off the edge of her face.

"Stop calling yourself that," Ginny croaked, cupping Hermione's jaw and using the pads of her thumbs to swipe away the waterfall tears.

"I'm sorry," Hermione whispered, twisting her fists in the youngest Weasley's black tank top and shaking her head quickly. "I'm sorry."

"No, don't apologize, baby. Just…I don't like hearing you belittle yourself." Ginny explained, her thumbs now rubbing soothing circles on Hermione's cheeks.

"Rosie's face, Gin, it was heartbreaking." Hermione whimpered. "She's so guarded from all the evils we dealt with at her age."

"It's safer that way," Ginny murmured as she closed her eyes, trying to convince herself of the lies they had used to keep Hugo and Rose out of harm's way.

"We can't keep hiding this from them, we shouldn't keep lying about why I cover up my wrists and why Scorpius keeps telling them stories about how Draco used to treat me." Hermione sighed, and Ginny breathed out from her nose and tried to gain some composure.

"Their too young, Hermione." Ginny declared, hands sliding down the brunette's body going from her neck to her the length of her bicep and curving to rush over Hermione's ribcage and pausing below her breast as she took a deep breathe.

"Are they?"

Ginny's eyes flickered over her wife's face before she captured the woman in a kiss, the older witch inhaling sharply as the red head sucked her bottom lip into her mouth. The brunette's knees felt weak as she dropped her hands to the edge of the tank top Ginny wore, fisting it for support.

"I don't know anymore," Ginny confessed when she pulled away, her breathes coming out in short pants as she rested her forehead against the wall by Hermione as they both attempted to catch their breathe.

"Ginny, I'm a mudblood." Hermione whispered and this time her wife released her and sluggishly went to plop on the side of the bed, hanging her head. "I know you don't want me to say it, but it's the truth and I'm not so sure I'm ashamed of it."

"You shouldn't be," Ginny muttered, watching as the brunette moved towards her with a sway in her step as she smiled.

"I love you, you know?" Hermione added, nudging Ginny's legs apart so she could slide in between them to watch her wife's face.

"I love you too," Ginny muttered, tracing her finger tips over the witch's silk pajama bottoms and following to the outside of Hermione's thigh as she tugged her closer.

"No need to sound so happy about it," Hermione teased, running her fingers through long red hair as the younger witch chuckled lightly.

"I'm sorry, I'm just…" Ginny paused and shrugged her shoulders lightly. "I just hate seeing you hurt, I don't know what happened in that manor, but the scar on your wrist is enough to tell me it was a bloody hell of a torture."

"It was, but I'm not hurting anymore." Hermione lied, pressing further into the red head as she forced Ginny to lay on the bed with her on top.

"Don't lie to me," Ginny grumbled, but it was quickly muffled through a kiss as Hermione straddled her waist and locked the fingers, dragging Ginny's hands to rest above her head on the mattress.

"I'm not," Hermione grinned, nipping at the skin as Ginny's breaths sped up and became gasps and rumbling moans.

"Hermione," Ginny whispered as she attempted to fight her wife off, but the brunette giggled and held her down with her torso.

"How about you just…sit back and enjoy?" Hermione suggested as she sucked at Ginny's pulse point, the red head only whimpering.

"We should discuss this," Ginny murmured, capturing the brunette's bottom lip between hers and holding it as the witch moaned.

"Okay, we can quit doing this." Hermione agreed, drawing away from the red head to sit up, but Ginny only growled and pulled her back down. "Or we can continue."

Ginny allowed her wife to make all the moves for the night, kissing when told and touching when instructed, but other than that she waited until Hermione was asleep to move about. Turning on her stomach she grinned at the way Hermione was laid out; her cameral locks flowed over the pillow and her legs were curled up to her chest while her arms hung loose.

Ginny lay on her side while she watched the brunette and moved her right hand over the white linen sheet so she could touch Hermione's hand, she carefully took hold of the left hand and pulled it towards her chest, kissing the knuckles softly.

Running her fingertips upward she paused at the scar and used the edge of her pinkie nail to trace the outline of the word, slowly and gently. With another deep sigh the red head raised the wrist towards her lips again and kissed it tenderly.

"I love you, Hermione, I'm so sorry this happened to you." Ginny murmured as she shook her head and tried to choke back the tears. "I'm so sorry I can't erase this,"

The witch laid awake for another hour, staring at the ceiling and running her hand through Hermione's soft curls, watching the rise and fall of her wife's chest and finding peace in the small movements the older witch made as she slept.

Finally, when she couldn't fight it any longer, Ginny's eyes fluttered close and she drifted into darkness with her hand still twisted into Hermione's hair.

* * *

"Mum! Wake up!"

Ginny groaned as she rolled onto her stomach and buried her face in the plush pillow, her body shaking as she felt multiple bodies jumping around her.

"Aunt Ginny! Auntie Mione says to wake up!" A soft, boyish tone ordered.

"Five more minutes." Ginny muttered, her voice muffled by the feathered pillow her mouth was currently burrowed in.

"No, Mummy says now! She says it's almost noon and you need to get your butt out of bed and into your clothes." Rose stated firmly as she popped her mother in the butt with her foot, giggling as Ginny grunted and rocked her body slightly.

"Mmm, why?" Ginny whined as she finally flipped onto her back staring at the assorted faces that surrounded her.

Three blonde headed children that belonged to Ron, one brunette and one blonde that belonged to Harry, and a red head and brunette that belonged to herself all spanning from different ages, different heights, and different eye colors.

"Uncle Harry, Aunt Luna, Auntie Maria, and Uncle Ron are here!" Hugo exclaimed in excitement and Ginny chuckled at the wide eyed expression that had over taken his face, reaching out to ruffle his red locks before throwing her feet over the side of the bed.

"Okay, okay tell your Mummy I'll be down in fifteen." Ginny instructed and Rose nodded obediently before turning on her heels and rushing away with six kids on her tail.

Ginny took her time getting showered and dressed in her normal tight blue jeans and light tank top, throwing her hair back with a blue twister that matched her shirt. Humming, Ginny skipped down the stairs and smiled at the delight around her.

"Hello Ginny!" A bright voice chirped and the red head turned to see a small blonde rushing towards her, practically tackling her in a hug.

"Hello Maria," Ginny chuckled.

Maria was Ron's wife who he had met on one of his trips to visit Hermione in the muggle world, they had run into each other at a park…literally, and had been inseparable every since that day.

At first Ron had been reluctant to tie himself to a muggle, but it only took one look into Maria's soft blue eyes and he was head over heels. The two had been married for ten years and had five-year-old twin boys, Jacob and Freddie and a seven-year-old daughter, Chloe.

"I hope the kids waking you up wasn't too much of a bother." Maria smiled, wincing as Ginny scrunched her nose and shrugged.

"Not really, have you seen Hermione?" Ginny questioned curiously.

"She's in the kitchen with Luna, Ron, and Harry." Maria nodded and with another smile she moved past Ginny and towards the den area where the kids were all gathered together playing with the newest Weasley Wizard Wheezes set.

Sure enough Hermione was standing in the kitchen and oblivious to her wife's presence so Ginny stood at the doorway and watched the woman with an adoring glaze to her eyes. She glanced to see Ron shoveling food down his throat while Luna and Harry whispered to each other while sipping coffee.

Luna and Harry were the biggest surprise to the Wizarding world, their marriage had created an uproar in the Ministry since Harry was the Headmaster of Hogwarts and Luna was the main writer of the Quibbler after taking over for her father.

The two had a thirteen-year-old son named after both Harry's father and Harry's mentor and James Albus Potter was bright and carried the same attitude as his father while his younger sister Alexis Hermione Potter was ditzy and full of hope…much like her mother.

"Good morning, Ginny." Luna breathed out as she approached the red head, enveloping her in a hug as Hermione looked up and smiled lightly.

"Good morning, Luna, I see you guys are early this weekend." Ginny noted with a laugh as she accepted the hug Harry offered and the half embrace Ron provided her.

"Alexis was anxious to come and join the fun over here," Harry explained with a shake of his head, taking a sip of his coffee as he wrapped an arm around Luna's waist.

With another nod and smile, Ginny walked to stand behind Hermione and snaked her arms around her waist so the brunette was flush against her, "Good morning, beautiful."

"Hey sleepy head," Hermione giggled, turning her head and accepting a quick peck from her wife before turning her attention back to their friends.

"Can I help you with anything?" Ginny asked as she placed a few slow, tender kisses to the witch's neck and shoulder before she pulled away.

"Nope, just another one of those mornings…you know when you don't wake up when I say and you decide to sleep in to an unreasonable hour." Hermione grinned as she watched her wife chuckle lightly and roll her eyes.

"Yeah, whatever you say, dear." Ginny smirked, kissing Hermione's cheek before starting just another one of those mornings.

* * *

A/N: So there you go, this is the first part…should I add more?


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Well, here is part two of I'm A Mudblood, Darling! I'm thinking this story is going to have ten parts, I think I want to do like a little exploring on everyone else's relationship and not just Hermione and Ginny. I don't know, what do you guys think?**

**A/N: Oh, also I'm looking for a beta so if your interested e-mail me and we'll talk(:**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, that lucky person happens to be J.K. Rowling.**

Hugo Harry Weasley was raised to know it was a man's job to keep his family safe and since he was the man of the family he had taken to the role quite early on. At the age of four-years-old his protectiveness of Hermione had never failed or slowed down.

"I'm gonna go get a pastry!" Hugo exclaimed as he set his Wizard Cards down and pocketed his remaining Chocolate Frogs.

"Hurry back or we might steal all your cards again!" James warned with a laugh as he watched his cousin turn and give him a small glare.

"I know how many cards I have, James, don't even think about trying to steal my extra Dumbledore card either." The boy ordered before turning back around and exiting the cozy den, his small legs hurrying towards the kitchen.

Ginny, Luna, and Maria were sitting on barstools chatting and sipping their coffee, Ron and Harry were laughing and punching each other's shoulders, and Hermione had her back turned to the groups as she sliced banana and apples.

"Mum!" Hugo squeaked, rushing forward and leaping into Ginny's lap, the red head's coffee shifting and almost flying out of the class.

"Hug, sweetie, be more careful." Ginny ordered with a stern glance, the boy blushing as he muttered a small apology and twisted himself to snuggle into Ginny's stomach causing the woman to smile lightly. "What did you need, buddy?"

"Can I have a pastry?" Hugo questioned with a flutter of his eyelashes, Ginny sighing and chuckling as she ran her fingers through his ginger hair.

"I think you should probably ask your mummy." Ginny suggested with a raised eyebrow and with a whine and pout the four-year-old slid from his mum's lap and moved around the kitchen island to get to his other mother.

Hermione felt a small jerk on her knee-length skirt and she glanced down to stare into bright, doe shaped hazel eyes that were full of innocence, "Yes Hugo?"

"Mum says I has to ask you if I can have a punkin pastry." Hugo explained with a scrunched nose, Hermione sighing as she set the knife down and scooped her son to rest on her hip the boy stringing his arms tightly around her neck.

"I suppose I can spare you one, but…you have to give up a chocolate frog." Hermione bargained, grabbing a pumpkin treat from a plate nearby and resting it on a napkin.

"But I only has two left!" The boy complained as he pouted his lip and watched Hermione chuckle and settle him on the counter.

"Fine, you can have the pastry for free." Hermione agreed with a roll of her eyes and the boy clapped his hands in excitement and grabbed the dessert, taking a large bite.

The adults continued with their business while Hugo swung his legs and ate the sweet pastry, watching Hermione chop away at the assorted fruit. The brunette woman was halfway done with chopping apple slices when the knife came down and sliced the front of her index finger.

"Ahh, dammit." Hermione hissed as she dropped her knife and grabbed a hold of her hand, blood oozing from the wound as she winced and tried to gather herself and keep from cursing out loud again, especially in front of her child.

"Mummy! Are you okay?" Hugo demanded as he scrambled down from the counter to rest his head against Hermione's thigh, looking up at her as she forced a smile.

"It's just a cut," Hermione soothed.

"That's not just a cut, babe." Ginny whispered appearing beside her wife as she moved to stand behind the brunette, pressing her hips to Hermione's back as she sighed.

"It's bleeding," Hermione pointed out and Ginny nodded slightly, resting her hand on the brunette's hip to hold her steady as she grabbed a hold of the injured finger and moved it to rest under the steady cold water that came from the tap.

"There," Ginny grinned, reaching out for a dish towel as the cut was cleansed and she smirked at her wife before winking. "That wasn't too bad, now was it?"

Hermione rolled her eyes and as she reached to take the dish towel from Ginny her son grabbed her hand and pulled it down to his face, inspecting the cut before pressing a quick kiss to it. The mother smiled in a watery way before moving to kneel in front of her son, taking him into her arms.

"All better, Mummy?" Hugo questioned and when Hermione nodded he wrapped his hands on her neck and lifted himself on his tip-toes to press a kiss to his mother's cheek before snuggling into her with a quick little grin. "Good."

"Thank you, my little protector." Hermione grinned as she ruffled his hair before turning to grab her wand off the counter. "_Accido _band-aid."

A small pink covering arrived it the witch's palm and Hugo snatched it up and pressed it to his mother's cut before beaming and scrambling out of the room, a half eaten pastry still lying on the counter and fruit slices abandoned beside it.

Hermione glanced up to see her friends and wife smiling brightly at her and Ginny held her elbow and lifted Hermione back to her feet, placing a small kiss on her lips as the older witch sighed and snuggled into the warm body before her.

"He gets that from you, y'know?" Hermione mumbled into the red head's chest, the brunette's head bouncing as Ginny chuckled.

"Yeah, I know." Ginny whispered.

Suddenly, Hermione squealed as she felt someone scoop her away from Ginny and toss them over her shoulder so everything appeared upside down, "Harry James Potter! You put me down this instant! I am not a toy!"

Hermione squeaked and complained, a light amusement in her voice as the three disappeared out the door and left their wives to cook and clean while they spent their time down by the creek catching up on everything in their own lives.

When they were far enough from the house, Harry set Hermione back on her feet and allowed her to walk in between himself and Ron. It was a tradition for them to catch up; although their lives had changed and they had families they knew they would forever be the Golden Trio.

"Rose and Hugo asked Ginny and I quite the question last night." Hermione sighed as the tough rocks crunched under their feet and the wind whipped at their faces causing her honey curls to swipe through the air.

"Oh yeah?" Harry muttered, tucking his hands in his pockets as he glanced at his best friend who breathed out heavily and shook her head seemingly fighting back tears. "Whoa, Mione, what is it? Is everything okay with you guys?"

"They had another run in with Malfoy's son, it's not the first time it has happened and I have a feeling it won't be the last." Hermione scoffed, rolling her eyes to the side as she attempted to shake her bad thoughts out of her head. "It ended in a row."

"Oh no worries, Hermione, the kid is a git…just like his father." Ron assured her, rubbing Hermione's back in an attempt to comfort her as they walked on. "Malfoy is a bloody idiot and it's no surprise his son came out the same way."

"Ronald! He's a mere child." Hermione scolded as she nudged him with her shoulder, the red head man stumbling with a small chuckle. "He knows no different, I assume the way he treats my children is the way he sees his parents acting."

"His father is still an ass, Mione." Ron muttered under his breathe as his gaze flittered towards the stream, the sound of trickling water overtaking the air as they crossed the bridge and settled themselves near the large oak tree.

"Harry, help me out with this!" Hermione pleaded as she turned to her other best friend, the man simply shrugging his shoulders.

"What am I to say, Hermione?" Harry sighed as he picked up a rock, tossing it in his hand before he skipped it lazily across the clear water. "Malfoy has been an ass since the day we met him back in Hogwarts. How can you expect his child to be different?"

"I don't know. I just…I was hoping the war had changed people's hearts. With all the good we have done for the Wizarding world, how can they all be so cruel?" Hermione questioned as she slid down the tree and stared out into the distance at the Burrow.

"Some people just don't change, Hermione, there's nothing you can do about that." Harry whispered as he trekked his way to sit beside her, stringing an arm over her shoulder and pulling her into his side as he rubbed her arm softly.

"Let it go, Mione. Hugo and Rosie seem to have it under control anyway." Ron reminded her as he skipped a set of rocks, the soft and gray stones slicing through the waves and bumps of the cool liquid as the red head glanced from that to his friends.

"I can just let it go, Ronald." Hermione snorted as she shook her head and folded her arms over her knees, drawling them up to her chin. "The kids will be receiving their wands in a short amount of years. What happens then?"

"They fight to the death," Harry and Ron answered together and their caramel haired friend went pale as she whimpered lightly.

"It was only a joke, Hermione, s'okay. Rosie is perfectly responsible and has a good head on her shoulders; she knows what to do and when to do it." Ron soothed as he finally faced them both and tucked his hands in his pockets.

"And what about Hugo?"

Ron and Harry traded looks before sputtering over answers while their jaws gapped and with another long heave of air Hermione dragged both her hands through her locks and closed her eyes, everything seemed to be a battle now a days.

Things seemed simple when it was just Hermione and Ginny raising two babies who didn't know what magic was, but the moment they both had released a spark from their fingers the two women knew they had a pair of trouble makers on their hands.

Ron had been ecstatic to find out about his niece and nephew and had bought them miniature broomsticks that Hugo seemed to use more than his sister, like Hermione, Rose simply enjoyed burying herself in a book and learning about magic that way.

"What do we do?" Hermione whispered with a shake of her head.

"What do we do?" Ginny questioned as she shifted her eyes from Maria to Luna who only traded glances and looked at the red-head woman with a look of wonder on their faces. "See, not even my best friends can give me some advice on this!"

"Well, I'm not a witch so I'm no help in this." Maria pointed out with a look of innocence that only caused Ginny to groan and bury her face in her hands in defeat while Luna chuckled. "Gin, maybe their just kids being kids."

"No, this is different though, their magical and they have curses." Ginny stressed as she shook her head again and ran a hand through her hair. "I don't want Hermione worrying anymore; she's so stressed about all of this."

"Can you blame her?" Luna piped in as she raised an eyebrow, taking a long sip of her tea as she gazed at the younger witch. "While you had multiple rows with Malfoy, Hermione has had several that ended in magical duels."

"Ugh, am I a bad wife?"

"No!" Luna and Maria answered together as they stared at the worried woman in disbelief; they feared that this problem ran deeper than Ginny was speaking of. "What aren't you telling us, Ginny?"

When both women's voices blended together Ginny snapped her head up and gazed into their worried eyes, watching as they both flickered between fear and wonder. She wanted to tell them what her kids had asked; she just fretted Hermione would be upset if she did.

She was torn from spilling it out and keeping it bottled in, but on her gut was telling her to ask because she didn't know how to react to Hermione's words from the night before. Her wife couldn't have meant that she was okay with being called a mudblood.

It was Hermione…she was never okay with anything.

"Rose and Hugo asked us what a mudblood was." Ginny murmured and Luna gasped while Maria looked between them with a look of straight up uncertainty. "A mudblood is a wizard word that insults a muggle born witch or wizard; it's a way of calling them filthy."

Maria gapped as she stared at the two witches who traded gazes and bit their lips, "Why do I feel like I'm out of the loop on something else?"

"Because you are," Ginny answered dryly before sighing. "When Hermione was younger, during the biggest war of Wizarding times, she was taken and tortured for being a mudblood. A witch carved the word into her wrist; it's why she wears the diamond bracelet. She doesn't want the kids to see it."

"Oh," Maria's eyes were glazed as she stared off into the distance; marrying Ron had opened her eyes to a lot of things in live and she had gained amazing friends and knowledge but it was times like this that she wished was still a clueless muggle.

"When they asked her what it was she froze up and I sent them to bed, but the thing that gets me is that later on that night Hermione was fine. It was like she had forgotten the whole ordeal; she had said that she had accepted who she was." Ginny breathed out.

"Well, maybe she has. Hermione isn't the same witch we knew back in Hogwarts, Ginny, she's grown up. I think its best you just let this one work itself out." Luna offered standing and draping an arm around Ginny's shoulders so she could give her a reassuring squeeze.

"I suppose, I just…it feels too familiar." Ginny whispered with a shake of her head, hands limply lay in her lap as she breathed in through her nose before glancing at her friend. "Don't you remember how she handled Ron at that dinner? That's the Hermione I know."

"Oh," Luna whispered as her face paled and then she noticed Maria staring at them with a look of total loss and puzzlement. "Well, Ron had just found about Hermione and Ginny…"

**Flashback**

"What?"

Ginny Weasley squeezed Hermione Granger's hand as she faced her older brother who had stood from his chair with his eyes narrowed and his fists clinched at his side. With a gulp, Ginny gave him a look of confidence and sighed

"I said, Hermione and I are dating." Ginny repeated slowly and before she could blink, Ron had drawn his wand and had it pointed to his sister's throat as he backed her towards the wall.

"Ronald Billius Weasley! Have you gone mad?" Molly Weasley gasped, standing from her chair as well as she rushed towards her son who continued to back Ginny up until a dull thud alerted them that Ginny had reached the wall.

"Lower your wand, Ron!" George snapped in anger as his hand twitched toward his own wand, Molly sending him a glare that caused the man's hand to drop instantly.

"How could you do this to me?" Ron hissed, ignoring the angry shouts that erupted from his family as he shook his head, pressing the wand tip tighter into Ginny's neck. "You're my sister, how could you just go and take the girl I love away?"

"I love her too, Ron." Ginny whispered as she drew her own wand, raising it slightly but pointing it away from Ron. "You're not the only one who gets to love Hermione, she's not yours, Ron. I'm sorry you're hurting but I love her too."

"No, no you don't! Your in love with Harry, always have been I've seen the way you stare him. You love him…you don't love Hermione." Ron whispered with a crack to his voice, he wasn't going to let Hermione go this easily.

"I'm married, Ron, I have a child on the way. The feelings Ginny and I shared are long gone." Harry murmured as he stood behind Ron, placing a comforting hand on the man's shoulder but only to have it shrugged off.

"Ronald, lower your wand immediately!" Bill Weasley ordered as he marched over to his son, but Ron only growled out a denying answer as he pressed it harder to Ginny's neck, the red-head witch wincing as she bit her lower lip softly.

"Ronald, please, she's not the one at fault."

The soft voice brought Ron back to reality as he whirled around and stalked towards Hermione, the small witch shuffling over her feet as she felt the edge of the table dig into her lower back while the pants of Ron's breathe washed over her neck.

His normal happy eyes had darkened into anger as the corners of his mouth twisted into a smile of disbelief, his wand now coming to rest against Hermione's chest as he chuckled darkly and shook his head with a heavy sigh.

"Your right, it's _your _fault! You're the one who has been snogging my own sister behind my back, tell me Hermione, did you ever once have feelings for me or was I just a ploy?" Ron demanded as he leaned his face closer to the girl he had loved, their noses brushing.

"You were never a ploy, Ronald, I loved you."

"Oh come off it!" The red-head man laughed as he shook his head, his laughter leaving as quick as it came and then his wand pressed further into Hermione, causing the witch to cry out in a light pain. "You never cared at me. You're just…"

"_Expelliarmus_," A panting Ginny watched Ron's wand go flying across the room and George was quick to scoop it up and tuck it into his back pocket. "Back off, Ron. When you're rational and calm you can come back in the house."

"You're not my mum, you don't get to tell me what I can and cannot do." Ron sneered as he glared at her before turning his attention back to Hermione. "I'm done with you, have fun snogging Ginny. We're through."

"We never started, Ronald, and I'd appreciate it if you would please back away from me." Hermione ordered in a deathly low voice, her words hissed out. "You never gave me the time of day when I wanted you back, now that Ginny is here you just can't take it. So, _you _come off it Ron."

Hermione stormed past Ron and into the downstairs guest room, slamming the bedroom door as hard as she could manage and the lock clicking. Ginny stared at the door for a moment before whirling back on Ron and narrowing her eyes.

She understood where he was coming from, her dating Hermione was something that had come out of the blue but they were happy together and they just wanted everyone's acceptance. In the back of the red head's mind she always knew Ron would react this way.

But threatening Hermione had crossed a line, seeing her girlfriend in fear had caused a rage of fire to slowly grow in the pit of her stomach and she wasn't going to let her brother go with a simple scolding. No one ever threatened Hermione.

"Ron," Ginny seethed as she breezed her way to stand before him with her fists clinched angrily at her side and her brow furrowed. "If I ever see you raise your wand at my girlfriend again I will hex you into next year."

The anger washed from Ron's face as it was replaced with sadness, his brow dipped before he raised his orbs to stare into his sister's, "How could you do this to me?"

"I didn't plan this, Ron. I would never intentionally hurt you, Hermione and I tried so hard to stay away from each other but…I love her." Ginny whispered a small smile crossing her lips as she lightly shrugged her left shoulder. "She makes me happy and I'm so sorry we hurt you."

Ron closed his eyes before turning his back to Ginny and marching his way to his coat, his foot steps creaking against the wood of the Burrow before he came to a stop and began to dig through the deep pockets of his jacket.

He removed something and held it in his palm, staring at it before he spun back around and strutted towards Ginny till they were standing inches apart. Ginny watched as her brother's eyes filled with tears and he played with the small item in his hand.

"What is that?" Ginny quietly asked.

Unfolding his palm Ron reveled a gold band with a small diamond set in the middle and the room slowly chorused with gasps of shock and Ginny felt her heart stop in her chest as realization dawned on her. Ron didn't just love Hermione; he had planned to marry her.

"Worked all summer for it, I did." Ron whispered as he cleared his throat and looked back into Ginny's eyes. "I was wrong to act the way I did, I guess Hermione is better off with someone who's not a git and someone who will treat her right."

"You're not a git, Ronald."

Hermione's soft voice washed over the room as she appeared beside Ginny, a small hand coming out to rest over the ring that lay in Ron's large palm. Using her own hand, Hermione forced Ron's palm to fold back closed so the ring was hidden again.

"I think you loved the _idea _of me, Ron." Hermione sighed, shaking her head sadly as she locked her orbs with Ron's and the red head shook his head slightly. "No, Ron, I really think you did. I was wrong to lead you on and make you believe we had a future…you don't love me."

"I do love you," Ron argued with a chocked tone.

Ginny glanced from her girlfriend to her brother, she felt as if she didn't belong in this intimate moment between them. She felt the same loneliness and hallow drop in her heart, the same feeling she used to get when Hermione and Ron dated.

"Someday you're going to fall in love and when that happens I'll be so happy for you, I'll be proud of you and I'll be okay knowing that you're safe with someone who truly loves you. But right now I need you to feel those things for me and Ginny." Hermione murmured softly.

Ron looked torn as he stared down at the girl who he had given his heart to, part of him wished he could just disappear into the ground and never has to deal with this hurt again but another part of him longed to just pull Hermione into a hug.

He went with the latter.

"If that's what you want me to do then I will, I'll do whatever makes you happy." Ron whispered into her hair as he squeezed her to him tightly and tried to savor the last moments of the embrace. "I'm sorry I was such a jerk."

"Its okay, Ronald, your blessing makes everything okay." Hermione assured him before she drew away and allowed Ginny to pull her close, smiling at the red head she kissed Ginny's cheek before looking around the room. "Does anyone else have something to say?"

Luna squeaked from the corner and everyone's eyes shifted to her as she raised her excited eyes to Harry and bit her lip, "My water just broke."

**End of Flashback**

"**Ron acted like that?" Maria gapped as she furrowed her brow. "My Ronald?"**

"**Your Ronald," Ginny nodded as she let out a soft laugh before turning to glance at Luna. "She had stood up for herself and then left to calm down, but she came back and fought it. The Hermione I saw last night did everything but fight."**

"**Give her time, Ginny." Luna ordered.**


	3. I'm Sorry Guys

My stories are going to be put on the back-burner right now, I just lost my sister and I just don't have the motivation to write anymore. I'll pick back up on updates in a few weeks, maybe after the funeral and stuff…I'm sorry guys.

*TieMeDownToYourSoul


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Sorry it's been so long, as I said a few weeks ago I lost my sister, but I realized that if anything she'd want me to continue writing cause it makes me happy. So, Carolina, this is for you big sister…eighteen is still too young to go though.**

**A/N: I also encourage all of you to tell your loved ones how much they mean to you, I'm not looking for sympathy, but my sister and I were arguing about Finchel and Faberry (playfully, but still) for our last conversation together. Please, just take the time to tell them you love them because you never know when they get into a car if their ever going to come back…**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter *sniffles* but that's okay I'll be okay.**

* * *

Rose Molly Weasley dragged a hand over the soft tuft of grass, allowing her palm to curve around a few blades as she sighed heavily. For a seven-year-old, Rose did a lot of thinking and she mostly blamed it on her love for reading; reading always opened her mind to the world that surrounded her, both good and bad thoughts.

Books always made her feel like she was free, like she could live a life that wasn't her own and when she closed the book again she was back to being Rose. She had learned all of this from her Mummy, Hermione had taught her so much already and she always enjoyed spending time with Hermione because the older witch had so many stories to share with her and Rose just adored listening to the happy things Hermione shared with her.

Suddenly, Rose was pulled from her thoughts as a spray of dirt came showering onto her face. The brunette girl coughed furiously as tears gathered in her eyes from the burning sensation, the sound of laughter slowly breaking through her coughs as she tried to figure out who had surrounded her and decided to sink to the level of dirt kicking.

"Hey, what are you doing over there?"

Rose felt her body relax as the sound of her thirteen-year-old cousin ripped throughout the park, a warm pair of familiar hands falling on her shoulders as her body was eased from the ground and her face was wiped clean as tender words were whispering into her ears while a small, puffy hand came to rest upon her own.

The girl's vision cleared well enough that she could make out the small body of her four-year-old brother standing protectively beside her while her other cousins surrounded her suddenly with James standing guard in front of her; the boy was definitely a product of Harry Potter, James was strong and smart and was always ready to defend the ones he loved.

"Well, look who it is! It's Potter's little mistake." A snarling voice hissed, Rose instantly pinning into the Scorpius Malfoy and her blood went cold as she spat out a hunk of dirt before frowning at the blonde-headed boy standing before her. "Did you come here to protect your little gay cousin? I bet she's just like her mums, one is a traitor and the other a filthy mudblood."

"Watch your mouth, Malfoy. That's my aunt you're talking about." James replied with a glare as he stepped forward defensively and a small smirk graced his face as the blonde boy took a cautious scoot backward so there was a larger space between him and James.

"You don't scare me, Potter. My father has told me all about your arse of a father, your bloody lucky he didn't get himself murdered. And I suppose I shouldn't even bother discussing your freak mother, I heard she's a…"

No one had seen it coming, but James had drawn his wand and had cursed the blonde boy. Instantly, Scorpius was on his knees spitting out slugs and the other boys who had surrounded him had taken several paces back and curled their noses in disgust.

"You'll pay for this, using magic unsupervised! The Ministry will bring you down!" A tall sandy blonde haired kid warned as he pointed a finger in James's direction, watching as the smug teenager simply slid his wand back into his pocket and flicked his head to the side so his dirt brown locks moved out of his eyes as he rolled them.

"Oh on the contrary, my father would never allow that to happen." James replied with a bitter laugh, raising his flaming eyes to stare at the group of bullies as he wiped his shirt clean before turning his lips up into a cocky little smirk. "I warn you all to leave my cousins alone, I better not here of you speaking poorly about my aunts again."

Quickly, a few helped Scorpius up and they rushed away leaving James to turn around and assure Rose was okay. The little brunette girl had curled out her bottom lip, her eyebrow furrowed together as she stared at the retreating form of Malfoy trying to figure out what he meant and why his words had made James so angry.

The boy had been tormenting her for years, he had never given Rose a real reason why he had just always made she sure she knew what she was and what was expected of her. Apparently she wasn't considered a witch because her mother was a…mudblood.

Still, Rose had not been able to figure out what the word meant. She had even asked James, but the boy had only curled his nose and raised his chin before ordering her not to repeat it nor to say it again in any way around Hermione and of course little Rose knew better than to go spouting out a bad word to either of her mothers. It was a form a respect she learned a long time ago, but Mudblood was something she couldn't truly figure out.

That's where the little witch always got so puzzled. Why did the word bother her mother so much? Every time it was even mention Hermione would vanish into herself and frantically rub the place where the word had been etched into her skin. Ginny would always glance to her wife at the mention of the word before shooing Hugo and Rose into another room as she comforted a frantic Hermione who tugged on the diamond bracelet around her wrist.

What was her mother so desperately trying to hide?

* * *

Ginny smiled brightly as her wife came through the backdoor laughing with Ron and Harry, the three of them obviously far away in some old memory. The red-head woman stood from her stool and gave both Luna and Maria appreciative smiles, it was nice having them around to talk about all the things going on with Hermione, it made her feel like she wasn't so alone.

"Hey baby, did you have fun with the children?" Ginny teased as she approached her wife, Luna and Maria laughing as they both went to their respective husbands and gave them quick pecks on the lips.

"Very fun, Gin, but I think your forgetting who the youngest one in this room is." Ron reminded her as he playfully poked his tongue out at his little sister who only raised her eyebrow once before turning her attention back to Hermione while Ron's became devoted to his wife. "Did you have fun gossiping with my little sister?"

"We weren't gossiping, Ronald, we were merely discussing things that aren't any of your concern." Maria shot back as she narrowed her eyes at the man, watching as Ron shrunk back lightly before giving her a sheepish smile and tugging her into his side. "I'm sure you're not going to share what you, Hermione, and Harry discussed…"

"You know the rule. Whatever happens between the three of us stays between the three of us." Harry reminded them as he shrugged a shoulder, kissing the top of Luna's head lovingly as the blonde woman snuggled into his side happily. "It's been that way since first year."

"Really?" Maria asked in amusement as she sat back down on a nearby stool with Ron leaning against the counter beside her; she had always been curious about the Golden Trio's friendship, she had been so jealous of it when she had first began dating Ron, the red-head was always jetting off to spend time with Hermione and Harry.

"Are you kidding me? These three were always together, if one was in trouble the other two weren't far behind." Ginny replied as she rolled her eyes before glancing down at the caramel haired woman snuggled in her arms. "Harry was the leader, Hermione was the brains, and Ron was…well, I'm pretty sure Ron just tagged along."

Laughter spilled throughout the room at that, but deep inside they knew that Ron was an important part of the group. It had been just him and Harry at first until that night in the bathroom with the troll, after that splitting the group of three up was near impossible. Ginny smiled to herself and sighed heavily, if it wasn't for the people surrounding her the Wizarding world probably wouldn't even exist…good would have been destroyed.

"Honestly, I believe Hogwarts favored these three." Luna joked, her musical tone ringing throughout the room and bringing Ginny out of her thoughts as she glanced at the blonde. "They were constantly getting themselves in messes, but it always seemed like they could do no wrong. Rules were continuously bent for them, I use to find it to be rather unfair…that is, until I joined and found it to be quite the treat. And Harry wasn't too bad to look at either."

Harry blushed lightly and chuckled under his breathe before flickering his eyes down to Luna's; it was amazing how in love with her he was. There was time he believed Ginny was his future, but the thought of being with someone else made Harry' skin crawl; Luna had introduced him to a world he never knew existed. She brought out the good in him and forced him to be the man he never knew he could be, she was everything he had ever wanted.

"Truthfully, I've always been so jealous of you all. Ron always talks about these great times you all shared and it's always a little bittersweet, I wish I could have been there to be a part of all these memories." Maria whispered as she lowered her eyes to the floor, scuffing her toe along the edge of the floor before biting her lower lip.

"You're a huge part of our lives, Maria, those times weren't even that good. We managed to have life long friendships, but on top of that we were constantly fighting to stay alive. Every time we got on the train to go to Hogwarts we all knew that we would end up fighting to stay alive one way or another." Hermione giggled as she leaned her head back to stare up at Ginny with a half-smile. "Remember our fifth year when we had to battle all those death eaters?"

"Oh yeah, how could I forget?" Ginny smirked with a shake of head.

Suddenly, the adults were interrupted as the front door swung open and a gaggle of kids came tumbling in with dark expressions on their faces causing every set of parents to drop any contact from one another and rush to their respective children; Hermione crouched before Hugo while Ginny grabbed a hold of Rose, Maria gathered her twins in her arms and Ron stopped before Chloe and looked her over, Harry clapped James on his shoulder and Luna quickly looked into Alexis's eyes for answers.

"I'm so sick of Malfoy, he's one step away from being cursed into a pile of dung!" James warned as he angrily curled his fists, he had attempted to get a grip on his irritation the whole walk home but he just couldn't wash away the words Malfoy had spoken. "He can't just get away with bullying everyone because his father is all high and mighty."

"As much as I dislike the Malfoy family myself I would never want to hex them." Harry chuckled as he glanced at his teenaged son before narrowing his eyes in wonder. "Why do I feel like I'm missing a big part of your anger?"

"He kicked a pile of dirt into Rose's face and then started mouthing off about Auntie Mione!" Fred exclaimed as his lower lip trembled before he burrowed his face in Maria's stomach for comfort. "He was really, really mean. I don't like him very much, Mommy, why can't he be nice and say nice things about us?"

"He kicked dirt in your face?" Ginny growled, her eyes searching her daughter's and frowning as they brimmed with tears before Rose slowly nodded her head in answer.

"Don't worry, Mum, James made him puke up slugs! It was so cool, one minute he was being a meanie and the next he was all…ugh, eww, burp!" Hugo breathed out, crouching at the waist to mime the act of throwing up as Hermione watched in amusement before she clicked her tongue and Hugo stood up straight smiling as his mother ran a hand through his red locks. "But I didn't like what he was saying about mummy, it made me sad."

"What did he say about her, buddy?"

"He called her that bad word again, the one you say is too bad for me and Rosie to know." Hugo answered with a frown as he leaned further into Hermione and stared at her through his long lashes. "Mummy, he was so mean and he really scared me. I don't wanna go to the park without James there to help me out anymore, Malfoy is just too big!"

"You know what, buddy? I think we can find a new park for you and Rosie to play at, that way you don't have to worry about Malfoy being mean to you and your sister anymore. How does that sound?" Hermione softly suggested with a raised eyebrow, Hugo nodding happily as he strung his arms around her neck and allowed the brunette woman to pick him up. "Good, now take your cousins and go get washed up for supper. We're eating in ten minutes."

"Okay Mummy!" Hugo agreed before he kissed her cheek and slide of her hip, rushing off into the kitchen and when he was gone Hermione ran both her hands through her curly locks and took a deep breathe before relaxing.

"Hey, you okay?" Ginny whispered as she scooted around her daughter who was standing with her eyes narrowed and firmly locked on Hermione, but Ginny needed to know her wife was okay before she ordered her daughter away. "James handled it, the kids are okay and that's all that matters. How about you go get the pastries for the table and I'll make sure everything is set up, hmm?"

"Yeah, yeah okay." Hermione nodded before pecking Ginny's lips and moving into the other room, Rose quickly following at her heels as she looked at the back of Hermione's head. "Sweetie, I can feel your eyes on me. What do you want?"

Rose flinched at the harsh tone Hermione was using against her, but quickly she squared her shoulders and cleared her throat. The older witch nodded in recognition before turning to face her daughter who was wearing a determined expression much like her own, eyebrows furrowed and arms crossed over her chest as if to protect herself. Hermione couldn't help but quirk a grin at how she remembered herself making that stance so much when she was younger.

"You said that you'd tell me what a mudblood was and I want to know now. Why do you and Mum get so upset whenever Hugo or I say it? Why is it such a bad word and why is it carved into your arm? How come you're lying to me? You promised to never lie to me, but you won't even tell me why the word is such a bad one." Rose fired out, each question coming out harsher than the last as she found her anger boiling up inside of her.

"Rose, I've told you already, you're too young right now and I think we need to wait a few years before we talk about these kinds of things." Hermione sighed, turning her back again as she stacked the food on the tray and listened to her daughter whine. "Right now, just focus on dinner, okay?"

"Mummy, you said you'd tell me and I believe I'm old enough to know!" Rose snapped as she crossed her arms over her chest in a huff, she was really feeling the frustration of being kept out of the loop; she could see that Hermione was struggling to keep her mouth shut and Rose knew she was pushing it. "Why does Malfoy keep on calling you that?"

"Rose, I'm not up to discussing this with you right now. We have guests." Hermione snapped as she grabbed the silver tray full of pumpkin pastries, glancing down to see her daughter angrily tapping her foot with a look of fire in her eyes.

"No, tell me!" Rose ordered as she clenched her fists together, watching as Hermione shook her head before turning her back to her daughter and moving towards the family room and finally the anger that had taken over her exploded and her mouth opened before she could stop it. "You're such a…mudblood!"

As soon as the word left Rose's mouth she regretted it, the room went deathly silent as all eyes seemed to fall upon Hermione who stood at the doorway with her mouth gaping and her eyes saucer wide. Suddenly, the caramel haired witch dropped the platter in her hands as her shoulders began to heave with silent sobs and her lower lip trembled with speed.

"Baby…" Ginny began as she reached out for her wife.

"Don't touch me." Hermione hissed out in a venomous voice as she jerked away from the red-head and pushed past her, running towards the door and grabbing her coat off the hook before she vanished out the door and slammed it loudly behind her causing the remaining people inside the home to flinch before everyone went quiet.

Ginny's eyes fell upon a small caramel haired child who stared up at her with innocent eyes before they flamed up slightly, "Now will you tell me what it means?"


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I'd like to say that I got a review saying that Hermione/Ginny being paired together in this story is "disgusting" but on the first chapter I said this is a femslash so...if you don't like it, don't read it. Anyway, this is short, but this is a build up of what's to come so enjoy and review(: **

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter doesn't belong to me, it's J.K. Rowling's.**

* * *

"_You're such a mudblood…"_

It circled through her head and she cleared her throat slowly before wrapping her arms over her chest in a protective manner, trying to control the tears that were begging to come out. Her own daughter had called her the one thing that broke her every time she heard it, the one word that brought back the torture and the pain from the manor in her seventh year. The way Bellatrix had smirked down at her, the way her breathe had blown across her face, and the way the wand had dug into her wrist.

How could her kind be so hated? What was so wrong with being a muggle born? Her magic was still the same as everyone else's; she was still strong and steady. The witch couldn't figure out why everyone had been so rejecting of mudbloods, they were just like everyone; they had wands, they were magical, and they believed in spells and creatures. The brunette sighed heavily before turning onto Diagon Alley and making her way down the dark corridors.

"Well, lookie what we have here!"

Hermione felt her blood go cold as she heard the familiar voice behind her and slowly she turned to face Draco Malfoy standing with a bunch of his friends, all five of the men obviously drunk. Straightening her shoulders, the woman attempted to seem more put together as she looked at Malfoy with an air of disgust and superiorly.

"Hello Malfoy, I haven't seen you in a while." Hermione replied with a tight smile as she watched the man scoff before he removed his wand from his jacket pocket, twirling it playfully as his boots crunched the dark soil of the alley way while his blue eyes glowed with something that Hermione couldn't exactly place. "I was just on my way home, was there something you needed?"

The man was silent as he ran a single finger up and down the length of his black wand, his gaze flickering over the figure standing a few feet away from him; he wasn't going to lie, the years that had followed the war had been kind to Hermione Granger. She was still beautiful and her hazel eyes still shone with strength and knowledge, her caramel curls still bounced with each step she took, and her smile was still bright enough to cure a sickness.

And it made Malfoy hate her.

"Granger, walking all alone in an alley way, is that such a smart thing to do? You never know what kind of things could be…_lurking _about. Just because you, Potter, and Weasel destroyed you-know-who doesn't mean that everything is just perfect again." Malfoy snarled as he neared the small woman, watching as Hermione attempted to dismiss her anxiety to depart. "Tell me, Hermione, you still believe in the evils of this world, correct?"

Hermione rolled her eyes at the man, he was still the insecure arse from their years at Hogwarts together; she suddenly understand what Harry and Ron had meant when they said not everyone would change because of the good they had done, it was obvious Malfoy would always be bitter.

"Leave me be, Malfoy." Hermione ordered in a soft tone, turning away from the blonde man as he and his drunk friends gave laughs before advancing on her, the witch crying out as Malfoy latched his fingers around her small wrist and pulled her to a stop, spinning her around to face him. "I said leave me be, you vile ar…"

Hermione was stunned quiet as Malfoy's empty hand came barreling down to her cheek, her head slinging to the side from the force of the blow as she cowered and whimpered. The men gave chuckles of utter amusement, feeding off her fear as she backed herself against the alley wall and felt around for her wand, her fist curving around it as Malfoy appeared before her with a sinister look in his eyes; it was a look that matched Bellatrix Lestrange all too much.

Malfoy eyed the brunette with a look of disgust in his blue eyes, he had been waiting for this moment since the first time he ever laid eyes on Hermione Granger in their first year; she had been cocky and her nose was always buried in a book, Malfoy had been waiting to knock her off her high horse for years. He hated the way she knew everything, he hated the way she was always right, he hated the way she was always trailing after Potter and Weasley like a loyal puppy dog, but mostly he hated the way her life was so damn _perfect_.

She had the perfect job, off working for the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures and finding a way to make the lives of the house elves better. She had the perfect wife, when the war had begun he watched from the sidelines as Ginny and Hermione made love eyes at one another and Ginny cried every time the mudblood's name was mentioned. They even had the perfect kids, a precious little boy who was smart and funny and that stupid little girl…she was just like her mother, full of herself.

"I've wanted to do this for years, Granger." Malfoy admitted as he gave her a small smirk, swallowing hard against the lump that was rising in his throat as he raised his wand and watched Hermione stare at him with large, doe eyes. "Every time you raised your hand, every smile you wasted on a Weasley, every assistance you gave to Potter…I've been counting the reasons to kill you. And now, I have you right where I want you."

"_Expelliarmus_…"

Malfoy watched in horror as his wand was ripped from his palm and landed a few feet away, without another thought he raised his hand and allowed it to come down twice as hard on the woman's face, Hermione crying out loudly as she panted and narrowed her eyes at the man. She wasn't going down without a fight; she had too much to live for.

"You're not going to control me anymore, Draco. You and your horrid family aren't going to make my life so damn miserable anymore, your aunt is dead and I'm so glad. In fact, my mother-in-law killed her! And if that wasn't enough, my brother-in-law and my best friend went and killed your father as well, so why shouldn't I be the one to kill you?" Hermione hissed as she glared up at the man, watching as his chin quivered fearfully.

She had never felt in so control before, the way he was becoming a quivering mess to her and the way his blue eyes no longer held that superior glaze to them. Hermione knew she had him in the palm of her hand, but she had forgotten the two were alone and when the feeling of an unbearable pain slammed into her side the witch dropped and curled her knees up to her chest in an attempt to make it fade.

Everything around her blurred together as the words of the torturing curse were spoken over and over, each green jet of force slamming into her and bringing her into another round of twitches and curses as her back arched off the dirt alley way while her fists curled. Blood rushed through her ears, her chest heaving as she finally found a sense of release in the darkness that surrounded her in that moment.

* * *

"It's been nearly three hours, Ron, and her hand hasn't moved!" Ginny snapped as she pointed her finger towards the clock hanging on the living room wall, Hermione's face still planted on the lost portion of the clock; her wife had been gone for three hours and Ginny had been pacing for three hours, she knew she wouldn't be able to rest until Hermione was back in her arms. "Please, you guys have to go look for her. I'll stay here with the kids."

"Gin, maybe she doesn't _want _to be found." Harry offered the woman as he stood from the arm of the chair he had been perched on; Luna snuggled into the maroon colored furniture as she flickered her gaze from her husband to her best friend. "This is Hermione, whenever she needs to get away from her thoughts she walks away. She needs time to cool down, time to think about all of what happened."

"I've given her three hours, Harry. Now, either you get out there and find my wife or I'll do it." The tall red-head hissed as she glared at the man standing a few inches away from her.

"She's right, mate. Hermione likes to take her time and be by herself, but this is a bit ridiculous. We should get going, Diagon Alley will be getting dark soon." Ron sighed as he moved towards Harry, the man nodding before he grabbed a hold of Ron and the two spun out of sight; dropping into the middle of the streets of Diagon Alley, the two looked around and swallowed hard at the silence.

This place had brought back so many good memories, good times that they would never forget and the silence that surrounded them made them sick to their stomach because they knew out there was a large piece of each good memory they had. Harry nodded his head to the left and Ron nodded in agreement before they split up and searched out Hermione.

Harry frowned as he called for his friend again, the name echoing off the bricks of the alley walls as he frowned before leaning against the Flourish & Blotts, he smiled softly to himself as he remembered catching Ginny and Hermione in this store.

**Flashback**

"And the twain go toot-toot and the pwane go zoom-zoom while the cwar go voom-voom!" A mini version of Harry Potter sat strapped in his stroller as he looked around the area of Diagon Alley, Harry smiling fondly at his three-year-old son as he babbled away about the muggle book Hermione had bought him a few days earlier. "Dada, Auntie Mione says that the wight way to the bwook store is wight over there! She wikes to go there lots and lots!"

"Yes she does and that's because your Auntie Mione likes to read her books, she reads lots and lots because she's extra smart. You like it when she reads to you, right James?" Harry questioned with a raised eyebrow, watching brunette locks flop up and down as James nodded his head happily causing the man to chuckle as he shook his head. "Yeah, she used to read to me and Uncle Ron all the time…even when we didn't want to hear it."

Harry continued to push the stroller along the path in Diagon Alley, Luna was working late at the Quibbler so Harry had agreed to meet with Hermione and Ron at the Leaky Cauldron for some drinks and some catching up. Originally, he hadn't even planned to bring James with him but his son hadn't been feeling completely well so instead of sticking a sick three-year-old with Molly Weasley, Harry had dressed his son in warm clothes and had apparated himself to Diagon Alley.

As he wheeled past Flourish & Blotts he caught sight of Hermione's hair from the display window and he smiled, she had started working there a little bit after Ginny had started playing for the Holyhead Harpies, she had gotten it to keep her mind off Ginny so she wasn't constantly wondering if her girlfriend was being pelted with large, hard Quaffles or Bludgers. Harry pushed the door open to the book store and furrowed his brow at the quiet area, it was seemingly empty.

But a giggle alerted Harry of her presence and quickly he put the brake of James's stroller and moved around the book cases, looking for his best friend and coming up empty. Just as he was about to give up, he caught sight of caramel curls and whirled around, his jaw dropping as he gaped openly at the scene playing out before him. Ginny had pinned Hermione to a wall, the older witch's legs wrapped tightly around her waist as their lips moved in a frenzy pattern together.

"W-wait, Gin, is th-that James?" Hermione panted as her girlfriend moved her mouth to her neck, diving into the skin and sucking furiously as she worked her hands over Hermione's bum, her hands buried in the brunette's back pockets. "Gin, ba-baby, stop. If James is…oh God, if James is he-here that me-means Harry is t-too."

Harry blushed madly as he realized he hadn't made his presence known and with an awkward clear of his throat, a pair of hazel and brown eyes fell to him as Hermione squeaked and Ginny set her girlfriend back down their faces both biting red as they shifted around nervously and attempted to fix their wild clothes and hair. Ginny was the first to finish and she looked to Hermione who was tugging at her blouse, the red-head smirking as she reached up to smooth the screwed up hair that belonged to her girlfriend.

"Harry, this isn't what it looks like! Well, I mean it _is_, but we didn't think anyone was going to show up and Ginny just got back from her weekend trip with the Harpies and we haven't seen each other in a while, I missed her, you see. I just wanted to show my affections and I…I'm really sorry, I didn't think anyone was going to show up." Hermione blushed as she ran a hand through her hair before glancing over to James who was gurgling away. "Ooh look, it's my handsome little godson."

Hermione rushed off and took the three-year-old out of the stroller, James squealing out her name as he clung to her and Harry chuckled lightly at the sight before burying his hands in his jean pockets and wondering over to Ginny, the red-headed woman watching Hermione with a half-smile on her face and a twinkle in her brown eyes that made Harry bite his lip and shake his head, he knew that look at to well, that was the look he gave Luna right before he proposed.

"So, when do you plan to do it?" Harry questioned in a low voice and when Ginny snapped from her thoughts she turned to stare at Harry with a furrowed brow as she cocked her head to the side in question before he smiled. "Propose to my best friend, when do you plan to do it?"

"Wh-what? How did you…how did you know I was planning on proposing to her?" Ginny demanded as she grabbed the wizard by his elbow and dragged him a few feet away from Hermione's sight, staring into his green eyes and seeing a spark in them that made her crack a light grin. "Seriously, I've been keeping it a secret for two months and if you know then that probably means she knows, so how the hell did you figure it out? Did Ron squeal?"

"Merlin's beard, Gin, no one told me! I've just seen that look before, I've worn that look." Harry reminded the witch as he nudged her lightly and watched her rock slightly before heaving a heavy sigh and dragging both hands through her hair and then he noticed the look of anxiety swimming through her normally calm coffee colored eyes. "You say you've been keeping it a secret for two months, right? Well, what's kept you from popping the question?"

"She's way too good for me, Harry."

"Well, of course she is. She's Hermione!" Harry reminded the woman before he frowned at the horrid look she gave him and quickly he covered his tracks. "She's my best friend, Gin. In my eyes no one is good enough for her, no one could ever understand the multiple levels of Hermione Granger. Hell, I've known her since I was eleven and _I_ don't know all of her…but, you do. So what if you don't feel like your enough for her? She thinks you are!"

"Yeah, I guess your right." Ginny sighed, nibbling her lower lip as she spared a glance to Hermione, her eyes soaking in the older witch as she playfully threw James in the air and laughed along with the squealing boy as she hugged him close and showered him with kisses. "I love her so much, and watching her with James right now…I can see her doing that with kids that have red-hear or big hazel eyes, I can see her with _our _kids."

"Me too, she's gonna be a great mum one day." Harry agreed as he watched his best friend with a proud glint to his eye, after all the things Hermione had been through he was so glad to see her end up with everything she had now. "And she's going to be an even better wife once you finally ask her. When do you plan to do it anyway?"

"Tonight," Ginny answered without a single hesitation.

**End of Flashback**

Harry ran both his hands through his hair and chuckled at the memory of that night, because that next day at two in the afternoon Hermione had shown up with an excited squeal, thrusting her diamond ring into his face as Ginny stood a few feet back watching with an adoring look on her face. He had even endured the dreadful talk of their wedding that went on for almost two hours, Luna encouraging it as they planned ways to dress up James for the ring bear.

Shaking his head, Harry focused back on the task he was on; his best friend was out here somewhere and had a wife pacing the floor at home. He needed to find Hermione, hug her, scold her for running away like that, and take her back to the woman who loved her more than anyone.

"Hermione!"

"Mione, where are you?"

"Hermione, come on, where are you?"

Shivering in the corner of the alley, Hermione could make out the soft glow of a wand as the sound of rocks crunching under feet became louder. She could barely make out the figure that was walking closer, her head to focus on the pain that whirled around it and her body attempting to warm itself as she cowered away beside a dumpster. She didn't know how long she had been there, she really didn't care, all she knew was she was in pain and it wasn't going away.

The brunette witch winced as her t-shirt peeled itself away from the cut it had been stuck to, the dry blood caking itself to the skin as fresh blood slowly made its way out to wash the maroon away. Tears stung as they fed themselves to the cuts along her face, the salt seemingly laughing at her as it caused a single sting and a fresh burn.

"Hermione?"

The witch winced and whimpered as a face came into her view, two hands reaching out to cup her arms as she pulled away from her safe zone and for a moment she attempted to fight the hold; fear shook her as she thought of Malfoy returning to finish what he started, returning to cause her more pain then she already felt with each breathe she breathed. But these hands were warm, gentle and the voice was urgent and seemed to be chocking on tears.

"Oh God, Mione, what in the bloody hell happened to you?" Ron hissed as he held his best friend in his embrace, caressing her caramel locks as he felt her settle into his lap and twist a fist into his jacket as if to keep him close and he frowned slightly before chocking over the tears that were building up inside of his throat. "Harry, get your arse over here now and call Ginny! We're going to have to take her to St. Mungo's."

"What? Wh…Mione?" Harry gasped as he rushed toward the two on the alley floor, he dropped to his knees and stared in horror at the bloody sight of his best friend, the girl who had always been his rock and had always been the one to save him when he gave into the darkness. "Hermione? Hermione, can you hear us?"

"M'not mudblood, m'not…" Hermione whispered against the softness of Ron's jacket.


	6. Chapter 6

**Flashback**

Ginerva Weasley was a professional Quidditch player, a damn good one too and her hexes could send any grown wizard cowering in the corner; she was smart, passionate, funny, and beautiful. Her family respected her and her fans adored everything about the red-head witch, she was a legend to many. But there was one thing Ginny could never resist, something that always made her forget her own name and that was Hermione…in a sundress.

The older witch had no idea of her effect on Ginny; she never noticed the way her fiancée would stop talking whenever she breezed by in her knee-length yellow dress, or the way Ginny would trip over her feet whenever Hermione came downstairs wearing the baby blue dress, and she certainly never took attention to the way Ginny would squeak and cross her legs as she came down the stairs in a white sundress that hit her mid-thigh.

"They are going to be the death of me, I swear it!" Ginny complained as she sat in the Three Broomsticks with her team from the Harpies, her face scrunching as she took another swirl of her Fire Whiskey before swirling it around in her mouth. "She prances around in them and never notices the way I can't even breathe when she's around, it's like they were made to _torture _me! You've seen her legs, and I know for a fact you've all looked at her ass."

"Oh yeah," Kayla Griffin, one of the Chasers, smirked as she took a drink of her own Fire Whiskey before smirking as she looked off into the distance with a glazed expression. "You may go boggers over those dresses, but I prefer her in those muggle brand jeans."

"I love you, Portlee, but if I ever catch you looking at my fiancée again I'll have to bludger you and possibly hex your ass." Ginny warned, getting a laugh from the rest of the team as they all fell into comfortable silence before Ginny groaned and ran a hand through her hair. "Oh come off it, she's actually wearing another one!"

Every head turned to the door as Hermione Granger entered the pub with a smiling Ron Weasley and a skeptical Harry Potter, but Ginny was right there was the older witch in a mint green sundress that hugged her curves and made eyes drift down to pay special attention to the top of the line pair of legs Hermione had been blessed with. It was easy to see why Ginny lost herself when Hermione wore those outfits, she looked bloody brilliant.

"Ginny!" Hermione happily exclaimed as she finally found her fiancée in the crowded place, her brown eyes brightening instantly at the sight of the woman she hadn't seen in almost three weeks; it was one of the things both witches hated about Ginny playing Quidditch, she was continuously leaving for games and was forced to be away for weeks at a time.

"Hey baby, I missed you." Ginny replied in a whisper as she gathered the caramel-haired witch in her arms, kissing the top of her head and smiling as she felt Hermione's nose brush against her neck before soft lips were pressed against her flesh. "I'm sorry you couldn't make it to the game this time, you'll be happy to know we kicked ass."

"I heard, your forgetting that your brother is a brag. He always plays the telecast in the office, I usually go down and listen with him. You are my fiancée, after all, I can't miss out on your games." Hermione reminded her, pulling away from the embrace as she placed herself in the red-head's lap and pressed their lips together.

For Ginny it was absolutely intoxicating to be this close to the other woman, her hands couldn't stay still as they ran up the soft cloth of the dress Hermione wore. The mint green fabric pooled softly against Hermione's thighs and Ginny couldn't resist slipping her hand underneath to touch warm flesh, groping softly as the dress material rubbed against her knuckles while Hermione gasped and pulled away from the kiss.

"Now _that's _a kiss." Gina Lewis, one of the Beaters, smirked.

"Shut-up, I haven't seen her in three weeks." Ginny chuckled, gazing devotedly up at the blushing witch and pressing a quick kiss to her cheek before Hermione bowed her head and situated herself comfortably in the Quidditch player's lap. "And plus, she's my _fiancée _now."

"Oh, so it didn't matter that much when I was just your girlfriend?" Hermione scoffed with a teasing raise of her eyebrow, Ginny blushing as her teammates and friends began to give long, exaggerated sounds of oohs and busted, but it was Ginny's view of Hermione's bright eyes that made her feel her whole world spin upside down.

It was always this way for Ginny though, one look into those brown orbs and she felt as if she was floating without a single care. Hermione had made her feel like everything was going to be okay; she made the world seem like a better place. It had been hard at first, especially since Ginny had been forced to watch as Ron and Hermione sorted out there feelings for each other but after that it was all secret kisses and whispered words.

Their romance had been one out of a book, while they had kept it a secret it was still alive and bubbling into something neither knew existed. It had taken Ron almost a year for him to accept them and when he had found Maria everything suddenly changed and he did everything in his power to protect Hermione and Ginny from anyone who thought wrong of their relationship, same with Harry and literally every other person in the two witches' lives.

"Ginny? Okay, darling, obviously you've slipped away into your thoughts…so, how about a penny for them?" Hermione whispered into her fiancée's ear, Ginny jumping slightly before she turned her dazed eyes onto the older witch and Hermione's face lit up at the goofy grin Ginny gave her, a grin that always made her weak at the knees. "You had that look on your face, the one that says your like a million miles away from me."

"Yeah, I tend to get it when you're around. I was just reminiscing on the past, thinking about how stable our relationship is." Ginny replied teasingly before she kissed Hermione's neck, the witch giggling and curling her body into the red-head's as she tried to escape the nipping teeth.

"Okay, that's our cue to hit the road." Portlee Brown, a Chaser, chuckled as she stood and slid on her jacket, her eyes full of a light drunken glaze as she tossed a few of her Sickles before glancing to her girlfriend Morgan who played Keeper. "Come on, babe, let's get out of here before these too go completely loony and end up snogging on the tables."

"Behave, Portlee." Morgan scolded as she swatted her girlfriend playfully in the arm before lacing their fingers and waving to Hermione and Ginny as they disappeared with a large chunk of the team behind them leaving the couple, Ron, Harry, and Gina behind.

"Y'know, I see what you two got the whole stability, trust, permanence." Gina sighed as she stood, tossing a few silver coins down as she smiled at the pair of witches who were looking up at her with wide eyes and quickly she turned her frown into a smirk and corked her brow at them. "And I think…God, I'm glad I'm not you two."

"Whatever," Ginny scoffed as she rolled her eyes at her teammate before waving to her as she left Three Broomsticks whistling under her breathe.

Eventually, the four of them got bored sitting around the pub and Apparated their way back to the loft they were sharing with each other; quickly, Harry sought out Luna and his son while Ron yawned and called over his shoulder about calling Maria. Hermione simply blinked sleepily and led her fiancée to their bedroom, both witches clasping on their comfy bed and snuggling up.

"I have a confession to make." Ginny murmured as she rolled Hermione over, straddling the witch and smiling as Hermione stared up at her with tired eyes.

"And that would be?"

"Whenever you wear these dresses, it drives me absolutely mad." Ginny whispered as her hands made their way through silky hair before curving down a long pale neck, the journey continuing as she trailed them over perfect set shoulders and paused there as she grinned. "Your yellow one makes your eyes stand out, your pink one makes your ass look absolutely fantastic, this green one really brings attention to your boobs, and don't even get me started on what your white one does to me."

Hermione laughed lightly before grabbing a hold of Ginny's t-shirt and twisting it tightly in her fists, bringing the red-head down so their lips met in a fiery lock that drew two twin moans from them as they moved in a familiar dance. Ginny removed one hand from Hermione's shoulder and wrapped it around the fist twisted in her shirt and quickly Hermione caught on and interlocked their fingers, the red-head drawing their hands to rest on the white pillow above Hermione's head.

Inwardly, Ginny smiled as she gave the soft palm a squeeze because there was a time when she wasn't allowed to touch Hermione this way. When they were secretly dating Ginny would hold Hermione's hand as long as she could in the dark, knowing that when the light hit them that she would be forced to break the connection out of fear of being discovered. It always made her feel wrong; it made her feel as if she was ashamed to be with the older witch even though they both knew it wasn't true.

Hermione ran her tongue over the red-head's plump bottom lip and the access was granted to her at once, causing the caramel haired woman to bend her knee, Ginny straightening her body so Hermione's knee was cupping her right side. Slowly, Ginny pulled back from the kiss and stared down at the woman who always made the sun come out when the days were so dark.

"I'll love you forever, Hermione." Ginny whispered, running an adoring hand over her fiancée's face as Hermione gave her a soft smile in return and pecked her lips once more causing Ginny to giggle and blush lightly. "Just know, no matter what happens I'll be there to fight alongside you. Whenever you need me, just call me and I'll be there, I promise."

"I know, and I love you too." Hermione replied as she kissed Ginny's nose before closing her eyes and giving the red-head a smirk of her own as Ginny corked a brow and laughed along with the beautiful woman she was supposed to marry in a few months; they were finally going to have it all. "But you'll have to realize that I'm usually always the damsel in distress, love."

**End of Flashback**

Ginny's brown eyes ran upward and downward upon the body lying in front of her wrapped in a thick blanket, the chest rising slowly but surely. Both of her hands were wrapped around the soft left hand, her thumb running continuously over the large diamond that rested on her ring finger. Ginerva Weasley sat staring at the broken body of her wife, the woman who made everything in this world worth breathing in and worth living.

When Ron had Flooed his way back to their house, his eyes full of tears and his voice broken, Ginny had known that her world was about to crumble and it did all with his one explanation on exactly where Hermione was. When the words had left her brother's mouth she could see the sadness in his eyes. The information had literally stopped her heart in her chest, she had Apparated without a single glance to the people surrounding her; all she knew was that she needed to get to Hermione and she needed to make sure she was okay.

But she was far from it.

Three Healers were surrounding her when Ginny appeared, each of them healing some type of injury on the mangled witch's body and all Ginny could do was stumble back into the warm embrace of Ron, both had clasped in the nearest chairs and pushed their faces in their hands as they cried; it broke their hearts, they hadn't been around to save Hermione. The promises they had made to her, all the things they had said had been completely lies apparently. The one time when she needed them, they weren't there and that hurt more than anything.

"How could I have let this happen? I made you a promise, a promise that I've _always _been able to keep. I've protected you from hundreds of things and now look at you, you're broken and it's my entire fault. I should've gone after you, I should've known that you weren't in the right state of mind to handle something if it came your way but I didn't think it would." Ginny admitted as she chocked on her tears, releasing a bitter laugh as she shook her head. "And it did, it did happen to you."

"Oi, baby sis, don't go blaming yourself."

Ginny jumped slightly but turned her head and a smile lit up her face for a moment when she looked into the eyes of her older brother, George Weasley was standing there in all his glory with that crooked grin on his face as he waggled his brow at her. It was rare for him to make this kind of appearance; after Fred had died he had kind of vanished from the Wizarding world along with Angelia. He had handled Fred's death the worse out of all of them, but how could he not? Fred was his best friend and his twin.

Occasionally, George would pop in and visit Ginny because their relationship had always been strong and he had always been the one to dry her tears when Fred couldn't. He popped in to make sure she was still alive and to reassure her that _he _was still alive, and on top of that he seemed to know when she needed him the most when relationship drama came around. Like the first time she and Hermione had broken up, he appeared five minutes after the older witch had stormed out of the apartment and he was there to hug her and insure her everything would be okay.

The younger red-head released a small sob as she stood from the chair and released Hermione's hand for the first time in hours, her arms going around her older brother as she sought out the comfort she knew he would give and without a single hesitation he picked her up and fell back into the chair, whispering soft words as he caressed her hair and rocked her. It was amazing how at thirty she was able to still fit comfortably in her older brother's lap as if she was still twelve or sixteen.

"This shouldn't be her, George. She shouldn't be lying in this bed, no one even knows what happened! All Ron and Harry managed to get out of her was words about her not being a mudblood, which makes everything even more confusing because just last night she was _proud _to be one. I just…I'm losing it here, Georgie." Ginny admitted with a sniffle, finally calming down and listening to the soft thumps of George's heart as she pressed her ear to his chest_._

"She's going to wake up soon, Gin, and then we can all get to the bottom of what happened. We know someone attacked her, and you can bet when I find out they'll be wishing they hadn't laid a single curse upon her." George hissed in a voice he rarely ever used, it made Ginny smile and she brightened inwardly because of George's huge soft spot for her wife.

"G-Ginny…?"

Ginny felt her heart meet her throat when her ears detected that small call of her name, it drifted through the air and hit her full force causing her to sit up from George's embrace and stare at the older witch whose eyes were still closed tightly with her lips still cracked and parted, but the red-head could detect a small amount of fluttering from long lashes that shielded beautiful coffee colored eyes. A long silent minute passed and Ginny gave a cry of relief when she noticed her wife's fist curl and her head move.

"G-Ginny…?"

Hermione couldn't understand why everything around her felt like white noise, she couldn't fight against the blanket of numbness that guarded her, and all she knew was that she felt like she was floating and all her strength was being drained. Her arms felt heavy and her eyelids seemed unable to do much than shiver slowly, but she wanted nothing more than to look around and find the source of the cry that had spilled into her ears moments ago. Hermione knew that cry, she had only heard it once and it was when a certain Weasley man had fallen dead at their feet.

"Hey, baby, I'm here."

By this time both George and Ginny had themselves pressed against the railing of Hermione's bed and were hovering over her with eager grins on their faces. They watched as the caramel-haired woman struggled to form words and her eyes attempted to open, but to no anvil. As Ginny breathed in lightly she heard footsteps behind her and she chanced a glance over her shoulder, smiling brightly when she met the eyes of Ron.

"I don't…I don't wanna go to work today, Ginny." Hermione murmured and the sounds of laughter rang through her ears, each sound a different one and it made her feel even more confused as to why there were other people in her bedroom, she just wanted to sleep away the dark that seemed to embrace her in a tight hug. "Shh, too much noise. I wan…make it stop, Ginny. Make the loud go away now."

Ginny was dizzy with relief as soft tears made their way down her freckled cheeks, landing on the hands that were gripping Hermione's bed railing so tight her fists were white. Everything that mattered was okay again, her wife was waking up and responding to her voice and she was just thankful that Hermione was in the medically induced coma any longer. The red-head took a moment to wipe her eyes, taking a long glance at the older witch before chuckling.

"Okay, I'll make the noise go away and you don't have to go work. But, I'd really like to see those pretty brown eyes of yours, do you think you can open them for me?" Ginny questioned in a soft tone, running a hand over Hermione's forehead as she stared down at her with an absolute adoring expression. "Come on, baby, let me see those gorgeous eyes."

The older witch drew in a long breath before wincing as a stabbing pain enveloped her left side causing her to whimper lightly, Ginny's hand moving to caress her cheek as she whispered soothing words to the struggling witch. It took her a large amount of concentration to focus on fluttering her eyes and she winced as the bright light greeted her and made a dull ache pound in her head. Along with the stabbing and dull aches, a throbbing inside of her head started up, making her realize it was all too familiar.

Memories of flashing images and howling screams settled in her mind, and everything went cold as the hazy images began to plague her every thought and she blinked rapidly to fight off the bright light. The details of what had happened came back to her, along with the fear of protecting her wife and kids and her friends as well. She recalled random moments, like returning from her creek trip and having the conversation with her friends and making dinner with Ginny attached to her hip.

She remember stumbling out the door after Rose had spit that hateful word at her and she remembered facing Malfoy and seeing the disgust curl upon his face, but after that all she could remember was searing pain that ripped through her entire body as hands came down to pound upon her already weak body. But it was hard to remember anything else, the haze inside of her was impossible to break through.

Her eyes finally settled on the three bodies that stood beside her and Hermione looked up to her wife and gave a crooked smile, Ginny sobbing and Hermione watched her mouth move but couldn't make out what the red-head was saying. It calmed her down though, watching as a smile appeared on the Quidditch player's face and a hand came down to intertwine with her own, it made everything a little better and it made a little bit of the pain disappear.

Hermione moved her head on the itchy pillow rested under her head, she could tell her body was slightly elevated and if the pain in her side was any indication then she was obviously suffering from a few bruised ribs. For a moment, her eyes trailed around the room and then landed on three red-heads staring at her anxiously, all of them wearing matching smiles as their eyes twinkled causing the caramel-haired witch to wince as she tried to force her mouth to open.

"Shh, baby, it's okay. Just squeeze my hand if you're in pain, okay?" Ginny ordered as she intertwined her fingers with the older woman's, Hermione glancing down at their twisted limbs before she gathered her strength and gave the pale hand a tight squeeze and Ginny's face dropped as she felt the tears gathering in her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Hermione. I wish I could take all this pain away, I'm so sorry I even let this happen. I'm just…I'm sorry."

"S'not yo-your fault." Hermione croaked out and Ginny didn't miss the grimace that traveled across the caramel-haired woman's face and acting quickly, the red-head shook her head and locked her brown orbs with another pair of brown orbs. "Don't look at me like that, Ginerva Molly Weasley. It's not your fault, I don't need you feeling guilty about this."

"Ah, there's the Hermione Granger I know." George chirped with a relieved smile, he was happy to see his sister's wife awake and herself, well as much as herself Hermione could be at the moment. "I'm going to go Floo back to your house and give everyone the good news, rest up Hermione."

Hermione gave him a tight smile and watched the man vanish before she glanced up at Ginny and saw the sadness lighting up dark orbs, softly she squeezed the hand still resting in her own and watched Ginny give her a slight smile in return; Hermione wanted nothing more than to take all the guilt out of the red-head, but she knew Ginny blamed herself and Hermione also knew she couldn't change her wife's mind about something like this.

"Hey, you need to rest up so I can get you home soon. Do you need anything?" Ginny questioned as she forced a grin and watched as Hermione shook her head, the Quidditch player nodding as she removed her hand from Hermione's and pulled back a little bit, placing a soft kiss on her wife's forehead. "Goodnight Hermione, I'll be back in a bit."

"Stay,"

After all the things Hermione had said, that one word seemed to rip away all the strength the older woman had and quickly she was draining before the eyes of her best friend and wife. It made Ginny's heart break and warm all at the same time, so with a half-smile she moved back to Hermione's side and leaned down to press a chaste kiss to her lips causing the older witch to whimper as she attempted to keep their lips locked together.

"Give me five minutes, I just want to talk to Ron and I'll be right back here with you." Ginny promised, brushing a strand of hair behind Hermione's ear as she gave her a sigh and when she looked into those tired eyes Ginny caught something that made her frown. "I'll be right back and I promise I won't leave again, I won't let anything hurt you again. Just give me five minutes."

Hermione nodded weakly before finally succumbing to sleep and Ron watched the terrified brown eyes disappear from view before he swallowed around the lump in his throat and motioned towards the corner of the room, Ginny following behind him with the same sad look. Even when she was standing next to her brother, Ginny couldn't remove her gaze from the battered face of her wife; she hadn't seen Hermione this way since the war.

"We're going to have Aurous here around the clock, Harry and I are going to take the second shift and Dean Thomas and Neville come up for the first." Ron sighed, dragging a hand through his fiery hair as he gazed down at his sister for a moment.

"What? Neville is a_ professor _at Hogwarts, he hasn't been in the Auror for almost three years now, why in the world would you ask him to?" Ginny demanded as she crossed her arms over her chest and shifted from foot to foot, she was desperately trying to avoid the concerned blue orbs Ron had cast upon her, she wasn't looking for anyone's pity.

"He's a friend, someone we can trust. Are you sure you don't want me to stay?" Ron whispered softly as he reached out and placed a soothing hand on his little sister's shoulder, the woman only shaking her head as she put on her brave face and tried to avoid showing the tears building in her eyes. "We're going to catch Malfoy and his friends, Gin. We're not going to let him get away with what he did to Hermione, I promise you that."

Ginny sighed and allowed Ron to pull her into an embrace, it didn't bring her the same comfort Hermione's hugs did but it was as good as she was going to get right now. She always felt protected around Ron, he had always been the one to come to her defense whenever she was in trouble and she also knew how protective both he and Harry were over Hermione, she had no doubt in her mind that him putting Dean and Neville first was so he and Harry could get a head start on Malfoy hunting.

She knew Ron and Harry were going to find Malfoy, she could feel it in her gut and she prayed they would inflict as much pain on Malfoy as they could; she wanted him feel all the aches and bruises Hermione was suffering from, she wanted to watch him break. Ginny had a craving for violence and the temper she had always had seemed to be flaring up, she needed to get revenge for her wife.

"No, you and Harry need to go hunt down Malfoy and rip him apart." Ginny hissed and Ron pulled away from her to cast a surprised and semi-innocent look at her. "You and Harry can't fool me Ron, I know how protective you are of Hermione and I know that's why you aren't taking first shift just…I need you to make sure he feels the pain. I need you make sure he doesn't ever forget who he messed with, make him hurt, I want you to break him."

Ron eagerly nodded as he gave a slight smile, he was still bothered by everything that had happened but he knew Ginny was the most affected and he also knew she was more than capable of taking care of Hermione for him and Harry, "Oh believe me, Malfoy is going to wish he never even looked in Hermione's direction. I'm going to make him regret ever being born."

Hermione gave a light groan and whimper and Ginny peeked over her shoulder before giving Ron a quick hug as she sighed, "You should get out of here. Go find Harry and then go find Malfoy, I'll keep you both updated."

"Alright, take care of Mione, okay?"

"I will, Ron. I promise." Ginny nodded and her brother gave a single jerk of his head before Apparating out, and Ginny gave a puff of air before wondering over to her wife and sitting on the chair again, her fingers going to tangle with Hermione's as she bit her lower lip. "I'm gonna fix this, Hermione. I'm going to make him go away."


End file.
